Challenge-Filled Night at Prairie Meadows

Championship host track holds big regional finals night.

Q-Racing JournalSeptember 11, 2014

Horses will be racing for home-track advantage on Saturday night at Prairie Meadows when the track holds a selection of regional races in the Bank of America Challenge Championships, headed by Wade Siegel and Don Boyles’ homebred BF Farm Boy competing in the $77,130 Bank of America Prairie Meadows Challenge (G2).

Also on the program are the $50,490 John Deere Juvenile Challenge, the $40,680 Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge, the $29,700 Red Cell Prairie Meadows Distance Challenge and the $32,040 Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge.

The winners of each race will receive an invitation to compete in their respective championship races during the Bank of American Challenge Championships on October 18. Those Championships are being held at Prairie Meadows so Saturday’s winners will have the advantage of having recent success over the track where the Bank of America Challenge Championships will be held.

BF Farm Boy (Hawkinson-Shirleys Strawfly by Strawfly Special) is in the top form of his 6-year-old season and has scored three wins from four starts at Prairie Meadows. He has two wins from six outs this year, capped by his fastest-qualifying win in his Bank of America Prairies Meadows Challenge trial. The full brother to champion and Ruidoso Downs 440-yard track-record horse Strawkins won the second of two trials by a half length in :21.405.

The William Harris-trained BF Farm Boy crossed the finish line in third-place in the $257,740 Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1), but was disqualified and placed 11th.

Jerry Windham’s homebred Stimulus (Mr Jess Perry-Veva Jean by Runaway Winner) was second to BF Farm Boy with the second-fastest qualifying time of :21.470 for trainer Charley Hunt. The half-brother to world champion and All American Futurity (G1) winner Stolis Winner has three wins and a pair of seconds in his latest five starts. He was the 9-5 favorite in the trial after taking the $38,000 TQHA Classic Stakes (R) in his previous start.

AJs High showed potential this past spring at Remington Park when he qualified for the $791,000 Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity (RG3), however was fractious in the gate and finished seventh. The colt was given a rest and trainer Charley Hunt brought him back in the John Deere Prairie Meadows Juvenile Challenge trials. He won his maiden when he dominated by 2 lengths and his time of :17.335 was easily the quickest mark from four trials.

WRS Quick Regards will be dangerous as he tries for his fourth-straight win. Two starts ago he won $92,800 Heartland Futurity by a half length and then won his John Deere Prairie Meadows Juvenile Challenge trial with the second-fastest time of :17.501.

In the 400-yard Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge, Rodrigo Covarrubias-owned and -trained horses won each of the trials with the top-two qualifying times

Sizzlin Mr Perry (Mr Jess Perry-Sizzling Lola by First Down Dash) has proven to be an excellent claim for $12,500 back in May at Remington Park. The gelding has won his latest two races: a non-winners-of-two allowance race and his Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge trial.

Sizzlin Mr Perry won the first of two trials and his time of :19.685 was the top time by the equivalent of three quarters of a length.

Wagon Of Roses LVC (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Precocious Rosie by Holland Ease) was another heady claim. He was picked up for $10,000 when he finished second in a Remington Park maiden race in March.

The gelding has not lost a race in three starts since being haltered. He won his maiden and then moved up to the next level to take a non-winners-of-two for a $15,000 tag as the 4-5 favorite. He then showed promise when he rallied to take his Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge trial by a nose over third-fastest qualifier Jess Glory (Mr Jess Perry-Eye Of Glory by Mr Eye Opener).

Horton Racing’s homebred Call Her Hero (Valiant Hero-Shady Caller by Caller I.D. (TB)) has won the 870-yard Red Cell Prairie Meadows Distance Challenge that last two years. She won by one-half length in 2012 and then was fourth in the $125,000 Red Cell Distance Challenge Championship (G1) over the Prairie Meadows track. She dominated her rivals in last year’s Red Cell Prairie Meadows Distance Challenge by 6 lengths as the 3-5 favorite. She then shipped to Los Alamitos and finished a close third in the $100,000 Red Cell Distance Challenge Championship (G1).

Call Her Hero thrives at Prairie Meadows with five wins from 10 local starts with three stakes wins at 870 yards.

JK Running Horses LLC’s Mixed Fantasy (Okey Dokey Fantasy-Mixin Sixin by Streakin Six) tries to regain the form that saw him race to five-straight wins from September through April. He started by taking an 870-yard $10,000 claiming race and then the $26,950 Covered Bridges Stakes (G3) over 870 yards. Each of those wins came at Prairie Meadows. Last spring at Remington Park, the Kenny Laymon-trained gelding won the $38,000 SLM Big Daddy Stakes at 550 yards and his winning streak ended when he was second by a neck in the $47,250 Red Cell Remington Park Distance Challenge (G3) as the 7-10 favorite.

The Russell Harris-trained Stoli Angel took the Merial Arapahoe Distaff Challenge by 1 1/2 lengths at 3-5 odds in a sharp :19.455 for the 400 yards. She earned those short odds after very close seconds in the $20,000 Silestone Stakes and the $29,000 Merial Sam Houston Distaff Challenge, each at Sam Houston Race Park. The mare then won a Ruidoso Downs’ 350-yard allowance race as the 5-2 choice.

Trainer Kasey Willis sends out the pair of You And Me Partners’ Glory Rider (Valiant Hero-Mighty B Doll by On A High) and Rodney Verret’s Madresita (Pappasito-Mongoose Jet Eye by Mr Eye Opener).

Glory Rider makes her first start since finishing second by a nose in the $57,470 Junos Request Stakes (G2) at Remington Park on May 31.

The quick Madresita scored her most recent win in the $21,100 Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge Stakes at Hialeah back in February.